Comments on: Freedom: Heavenly?

By: Perry Robinson

Perry Robinson — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:38:56 +0000

The solution to Mackie has already been hashed out historically as well as in contemporary sources. I have written a short entry or two describing it linkeed below. Alternative possibilities is compatible with moral impeccability just so long as there are plural goods to choose between. As to why God doesn’t create people good from the get go, the answer is simple. To do so, their moral status would not have been their own and they would not have been morally praise worthy for it. If free will is a necessary condition for moral responsibility, then they could not have been so created. Moral righteousness requires choice.

http://energeticprocession.wordpress.com/2005/01/30/simplicity-virtue-and-the-problem-of-evil-pt-1/
http://energeticprocession.wordpress.com/2005/02/12/simplicity-virtue-and-the-problem-of-evil-pt-2-3/

http://energeticprocession.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/basil-answers-mackie/

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:51:10 +0000

I’m not Christian, but I’d like to weigh in here. I believe there are many “heavens”, or planes of existence beyond this physical plane. So, yes, I believe there is still free will once we drop this physical body. At this point I’d interject that I believe sin can be equated with karma. So, we continue to create karma (sin) in these inner heavens. Without getting too lengthy, I also believe when soul (you) unfolds to a point where It acts in complete accordance with DIvine Spirit, It ceases to create karma (sin) and reaches the true spiritual planes where karma no longer exists. This does not mean you no longer have free will, it just means you have matured to the point where your choices no longer create karma (sin). But if you do! Look out below!

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:49:44 +0000

Thanks for the comments folks, I thought the more philosophical nature and tone had turned everyone off!

Quinney: I certainly think conundrums like this should give Christian theists a bit of a headache, but why do you think John censored himself in his comment?

By: Quinney

Quinney — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:53:20 +0000

This is yet more evidence to me of the extremely unlikely nature of the existence of heaven and the existence of god. But I have to ask, John, why the hell did you censor yourself in this comment???

By: John

John — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:33:08 +0000

I love the thought exercise. Yes, the issue of free will is a thorny one in general for theologians; Eden, and heaven, paradise and the concept thereof, note that Adam & Eve were allowed BY DESIGN the opportunity to stray from the rules and fuck everything up, and note the same problem with a ‘paradise’ of heaven.

I remember years ago watching The Beach with Leo diCaprio, the concept of which deals with the issue of paradise and whether it would still qualify as paradise once humans get involved, once free will is allowed to produce negative results. So, in my extremist manner I might suggest that either paradise doesn’t include the allowance of free will (in which case does it qualify as paradise?) or paradise doesn’t exist in the first place.

Oi vay. Great piece.